The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-06-02
OUR CINDERELLA.
BY THOMAS DUNN ENGLISH.

She was our nurscmaid and sort OF
hctotum. We thought VIC could scarce
ly get along without her. Aud we
called her "Our Cinderella" playfully,
and not at all reproachfully. Our cook
had gone off,. and, my wife being sick
at the time, Betty undertook to get our
breakfast. She succeeded, after fashion;
but she so covered her usually neat per-
son with ashes and coal smut that my
little daughter, Chrissy, called her Gin.
derella, and the name stuck.
The way we got Betty was this. Our
boy baby, little Marmadukc, had to be
out in the air, and my wife, Mrs. Jud-
kins-I am John Judkins, scotsman
and florist, successor to Jarmin & judi
kins-sugges,ed that, as tho seed shop
was doing good business and the
greenhouses were run to their full ca.
pacity, as we were able to keep cook
and chambermaid, we might as we'll
go farther and have regular French
bonne, with ribbons and cap like a
new pudding bag, to wheel little Mar
maduke on the sidewalk. Thus we
could add to the comfort of the family
and show an admiring population the
prize baby of the period growing thus
two plants on one stalk. suggested in
turn that we had better move out to the
garden where there was handsome house
for which had not been able to secure
tenant. Here my better half interposed
veto. Mrs. Judkins had been born
and bred in the city, and in the city she
would live and die. Like her father,
the late Mr.. Jarman, there was no over
coming her once expressed resolution.
AT length this matter was settled by a
compromise. l didu't get the French
bonne, but came upon German one,
sort of amateur nurse as it were. A
young girl fresh from Carlsruhe,
who spoke English very well, but lit.
tie stiltcd, as sho had learned it at
school, was looking for situation as
teacher. She had good recommends
tions and was vouchcd for rs respecta-
bic by the German consul, who was an
occasional customer Of mine, In default
of something better, she agreed to teach
Chrissy German and tho piano, and to
give the baby attention and an airing
when VIC thought proper. So I engaged
her at very reasonable wages.
Her name was Elisabeth Rheinfeldt;
and SO We translated her name into Eiz.
abeth, and from that into Betty. The
only drawback was that she was very
pretty aud graceful, aud had the small
est feet and hands l had ever seen on a
girl; but that just fitted tho baby, who
was thc very-no matter; every one ad-
mitted his beauty. She grew to be in
valuable, for she turned out to be a
good seamstress, and was ready to turn
bcr hand to anything.
Bit by bit we got her history. He,
father, who was cadet of good fami
ly, had married the daughter o.
mechanic, when the head of the house
cast him eff. He had obtained a situa.
tion as librarian at Carlsruhe, and ther,
he managed to live comfortably ant
educate his only daughter, who hac
lost her mother when only five year
old. Then when he died, the baron
her uncle, would have recognized her
but she resented her fathers treatment
and rejected his offer of a home. Bclievin;
she could earn her living in America a
teacher, she had sold the household
effects left her and came to this country
with a slender purse, whose contents
were nearly exhausted when we got her
Among my customers was Mr.. Pau
Exton, rich bachelor, who was grea
flower fancicr aud an amateur gardener
with conservatory large enough for
greenhouse and great desire to grow
new varieties of plants. He was no
much over thirty, but had SO bronzct
himself by travel that he looked oller
When he grew anything novel, which h
rarely did, he always gave me the stool
plant to propagate from, so that he wa
very use. ii; and he got iu the habit G
dropping in the shop and chatting ono
or twice week, or tven oftener, an
we grew quite intimate. Ono day
was just two months after Betty ha
come to us-Exton came in the shoT
He was in state of excitement, and ha
evidently not come to buy or to tai
| plants.
"Judkins, old fellow" he said--h
always called me ''old fellow" when i
was in good humor--I had q queer thin
happen to me to-day. was crossin
town to go over to Williamsburg when
found I had ripped one of my shoes.
found German cobbler's shop
Avenue A, and stepped in to have
sewed. While 1 was waiting for it
saw, standing on the counter, waitin
repairs, a pair of the prctticst fcma
shoes in tho world. They were wor
down, but perfectly even on the heel an
sole, and the feet they belonged to mu
be simply perfect. Small, high instcl
well archcd--perfection. said to I'll
cobbler: Tho child that wears tho